The Last Days of Chez Nous: On Losing the Places Where We BelongThe title of an Australian film from 1991, Last Days of Chez Nous, has always haunted me, long after any memories of the film itself faded…Oct 30, 2020Oct 30, 2020
The Democratic Dream of the White Daddy and the Dream SuitorIt just happened. I got called a bigot by two angry Facebook posters on a friend’s thread. My comment? That I don’t support Joe Biden for…Mar 23, 20191Mar 23, 20191
John McCain’s Funeral Was Not a Resistance PartyOkay. I’m going to write this. I really don’t want to. It’s Labor Day. I start my college teaching again tomorrow, and I just want my last…Sep 4, 20186Sep 4, 20186
Mean BoysTina Fey nailed the cult of girl cruelty in her iconic film, Mean Girls. But what about mean boys? These were the guys who terrorized us on…Jun 18, 2018Jun 18, 2018
Trump Won Because We Wanted Him ToI should clarify what I mean by we. I mean the United States as a society. I know we have micro-societies, and it’s hard to speak of a…Jun 18, 20183Jun 18, 20183
It’s a Travesty: Travesties and the TonyWhen I was first introduced to Tom Stoppard’s brand of puckish wisdom with Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead my ears pricked up like a…May 19, 2018May 19, 2018
Bitter: #metoo Goes to AcademiaAmong the five basic tastes, sweet, sour, savory, salty, and bitter, we are most sensitive to bitterness, probably because bitter foods are…May 19, 20181May 19, 20181
Smashing Knowledge: Kristallnacht in AmericaI have been teaching the great classical epics in my community college mythology class, as I have for roughly thirty semesters. For years I…Dec 6, 20171Dec 6, 20171
Dear George Clooney, Shut UpDear George Clooney, you may look cute in a tuxedo, but when you open your mouth, you lose me. And those who compare you to Cary Grant…Sep 26, 20175Sep 26, 20175